My Heart Starts With You
by Allison Illuminated
Summary: AU where Taki and Mitsuha never stop swapping places. Mitsuha has dreamed of being a Tokyo boy, but she never thought when she woke up as one, everyone around her would be talking about another version of her. Taki had heard stories about Itomori his entire life, but he never thought he'd get to see it with his own eyes. All it takes is one revelation to change everything.
1. A Strange Dream

Chapter One: A Strange Dream

* * *

My Heart Starts With You

A Fanfiction by Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 3/2/18

* * *

 _Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Mitsuha Miyamizu groaned as she slowly woke up. _Is that… my alarm?_ It had to be, or else it wouldn't be so close to her. _You know what, I'm just gonna go back to sleep._

She fumbled around for where she knew she had placed her phone next to her futon. _Stupid alarm… where is it?_ Coming up short, she tried to reach further but found herself unceremoniously dumped onto the hard wooden floor. _Ow ow ow ow- wait, did I just fall out of bed?_

Tangled in the blanket, she searched around until her hand connected with the buzzing alarm. _Gotcha!_ Grabbing the phone, she flipped it open and- _huh?_

 _Since when do I have an iPhone?_

Sitting up, she blinked the tired haze away as her surroundings came into focus. The walls were painted a light gray with windows covered by wavy gray curtains. A desk with a strange chair was pushed against one wall and a bed and bookshelf against the other.

Mitsuha had never seen this room before in her life, and now suddenly she was in it.

"Where… am I?"

Her hands flew to her throat – that voice was deep, the curve of her neck angular. "Huh?" She looked down, and her breath caught in her chest.

... _They're gone._

She was wearing a t-shirt she had never seen, boobless, and in a room she had never seen before.

Drowning out the sinking feeling in her gut was the bizarre draw she felt towards _something_ between her legs. _No, it can't be. I mean, it's in the right place, but…_ Reaching down, she hesitated before touching it.

 _I'm a boy?_

 _No, that can't be. This must be a dream._

Stumbling to her feet, Mitsuha pushed out of the small bedroom and into a narrow corridor. There was a bathroom to her left; she went straight to the mirror. Her knuckles whitened against the sink as she took in her appearance.

Tousled dark hair, wide eyebrows, chapped lips. No, she didn't recognize this face at all, especially not the large white bandage against his left cheek. She gingerly reached up to touch it, then flinched back at the dull pain.

 _Why didn't I wake up? Who is this boy?_

"Taki, are you up?"

A small squeal escaped her, and she clasped her hands over mouth. _Taki?_ The voice had come from down the hall, so she pulled the bathroom door shut behind her and poked her head out into a small living room and kitchen.

Looking up, a middle-aged man in a suit frowned slightly before returning his attention to his breakfast before him. "Breakfast was your job today, kid. Remember? You overslept."

"I-I'm sorry!"

"I'm heading out. There's miso soup – go ahead and finish it off."

"Um, yessir," I stammer out of habit, frozen at the edge of the hall.

The man sighed. "Of all the days you could have chosen to be late… Mitsuha can't drive you today, remember? You have to take the train."

 _Mitsuha? But- but that's my name!_

"Go to school. Even if you're late."

Before she could register what was happening, the man was already brushing past her through the entryway. The apartment door swung shut behind him, leaving her clinging to the doorway petrified.

Eventually, she unfroze. Sliding into the chair by the arranged food, she hesitantly tried some. _Wow, this is good!_ Her surroundings were unusually realistic, messy and cluttered as Tessie's workspace. Magazines and sketches were scattered all over the room as if haphazardly discard without a second thought. _If this is a dream, I must have a great imagination!_

Really, though… "What a weird dream." Same deep voice – still unexpected but more pleasant than it had seemed at first.

 _Bzzt_.

 _A text?_ Jumping to her feet, Mitsuha ran back through the darkened hall and grabbed the iPhone off the bed.

 **M – Morning, Taki! I bet you're late right now, so go to school already!**

 _School? I have to go to school? Who is M? The other Mitsuha?_

Mitsuha's head spun wildly as she mechanically got ready for the day. Getting dressed was so much easier than dealing with her hair and skirts, but going to the bathroom was- _ugh, I'm never doing that ever again._ Picking up a schoolbag she assumed could only be his, she slipped his shoes on and pushed the door to the apartment open.

A sea of green stretched out before her, shining under the brilliant morning sun. Towers of steel and glass rose high above the trees, twisting and spilling across the landscape into the distance. Far away, a spire of red into the air; she would have recognized that building anywhere. It was everything she ever could have imagined it would be, and it was _breathtaking_.

"Tokyo..."

If this was a dream, it had just gotten a million times better.

 _Now, where on Earth does he go to school?_

* * *

Mitsuha edged closer to the classroom door, her stomach aching with anxiety as she peeked around the corner. The novelty of Tokyo – she was in _Tokyo_ – still hadn't worn off, and some part of her wanted to jump into the room and gawk at all the city bentos. _This was his classroom, right_ Snippets of conversation drifted from the busy classroom, strange things she had heard about in movies but never expected to hear anyone _actually_ talk about.

 _Relax, this is just a dream. Why are you so worried? Just go in and-_

"Taki!"

An arm draped around her shoulder, and she squeaked and turned crimson as a guy with glasses leaned in towards him with a dumb grin. It was the closest she had _ever_ been to a guy, and she wanted him to let go.

Of course, the boy didn't seem to notice at all. "I told Shinta you'd be late without Miyamizu-san to drive you! C'mon, let's go eat lunch."

Mitsuha was too busy processing the fact that the boy had just used _her_ last name to notice as she was led onto the roof. _Does that mean that the Mitsuha this boy's dad mention – and the M that texted him – was me?_

That was weird. That was really, really, really weird.

 _This is such a strange dream._

"Taki! How nice of you to finally show up!" another boy yelled from across the roof. From the smug look on her captor's face, she guessed he was probably Shinta-

"Hey Shinta, guess who owes me money now?"

 _Called it._ Mitsuha bit back a laugh as she high-fived herself behind her back, way too proud of her deduction. The other boy released her as Shinta groaned. "Dammit, Taki, the one time I have faith in you. What took you so long anyway?"

"Uh." When was the last time she had talked to a guy who wasn't Tessie? _I guess I should just tell the truth?_ "I kinda got lost."

"You got lost?" he shouted, and she looked around the roof. Once she realized nobody else was on the roof, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"How the heck did you manage to get lost on the way to school?"

"Um..." _I don't know, maybe it's because I'm in a random boy's body and I have no idea what's going on?_ Both boys were scrutinizing her intensely, and she started as she came back to her senses. "Oh, um, 'scuse me."

"'scuse me?" Shinta and the other boy shot each other a look, and she wilted slightly. _Right, Tokyo boys don't have dialects. Taki Tachibana definitely doesn't._ "Uh, I mean, um… Pardon me…?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry..."

"Say what?"

"...Whatever?"

The boys looked lost but nodded along, and Mitsuha grinned as a small spark of victory surged within her. _Definitely whatever from now on. I got this!_ "Yeah, I was just enjoyin' myself a little. Tokyo's kinda like a festival. Real lively."

Glasses boy eyed her oddly. "What's with the accent?"

 _I have an accent?_ Her face turned scarlet, and her hand reflexively reached to fiddle with a loose strand of hair.

"Yeah, and where's your lunch?" Shinta asked, sending her flying through her bags. _I forgot! How did I forget that?_

"Wow, you really are hopeless without Miyamizu-san around."

"Tsukasa, you got anything?"

 _So his name is Tsukasa. Also, why do they keep saying my name? She's "not around?"_ _If Taki's dad called her Mitsuha – this is so weird! - then I probably should too?_ She built up the courage to ask as they presented her with a hastily assembled sandwich, then said, "So, where is Mitsuha exactly?"

Tsukasa dropped his food back into his bento and Shinta gawked at her. "Yo, dude, seriously. Did you hit your head or something?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you're _all over_ Miyamizu-san! You two are practically dating-"

"We _are_?" Mitsuha squeaked in disbelief, and their frowns deepened.

"Alright, something's wrong with him," Tsukasa whispered, leaning over to Shinta. "He didn't deny it, he must be possessed or something."

 _Yes, that's exactly what it's like! s_ he wanted to scream but didn't.

"Korea, Tachibana," Shinta said. "Your hot older best friend that you refuse to accept that you're dating is in Korea. Do you need to call her or something and-"

"No!" The exclamation was out her mouth before she could stop it. _I don't want to talk to myself! I mean, I don't even know if it's me, but if she has my name, then-_ "I mean, I- I dunno, I- Yeah, Korea, I knew that, I mean- ...whatever?"

Both boys were silent. _Damn, I really thought that would work!_

 _Korea? Why am I in Korea?_ _What even is this dream?_

"So, _anyways_ , after class today, wanna go to that cafe again?"

 _What's going on?_

* * *

The bedroom door swung shut behind Mitsuha, slamming as she collapsed onto the bed in utter exhaustion. Her minds swirled from the events of the day – waking up, lunch with Tsukasa and Shinta, the cafe, work with Okudera-san – all of it was nearly too much to handle. She was overwhelmed and awed by all of the sights and scents she had experienced for the first time today.

Really, she would have been nothing short of exhilarated by this dream if it wasn't for:

 **M: Did you get to school okay?**

 **M: Taki?**

 **M: Okay, you're really freaking me out right now. Are you ignoring me?**

 **M: ?**

The last one had come just minutes earlier, and it scared her the most.

 **M: Taki, if you don't answer me before I get back to the hotel I'm calling your father to make sure you're okay!**

Blue light glowed on her face as she held the phone away from her face, staring at Line and trying to come up with something intelligent to say. How was she even supposed to talk to herself? _I'm not an actor, I can't do this!_

Curling up on the bed, she spent the next five minutes composing and deleting her message before finally working up the courage to send it.

 **T: Hi**

 _See, that wasn't that hard!_ Almost instantly, the typing bubble popped onto the screen, and she gaped at it. _Oh, come on! That was hard, why can't I get a break?_

 **M: Oh thank god, I was worried for a second there.**

 **M: also**

 **M: What the HELL, Taki?! Why were you ignoring me? You promised we'd text every day I was away!**

 **T: sorry**

 _What do I say? I don't know what he would say…_

 **T: I had a weird day, I guess**

 **M: Wanna tell me about it?**

Mitsuha stared at the phone. Did she want to talk about it? _I mean, I wanna tell Tessie and Saya all about this, but telling myself about my day in my dream is so weird!_ Squirming at the thought, she shook her head. _I can't! If it's really me, then- I'm so confused!_

 **T: Not really**

 **M: You don't?**

There was a long pause.

 **M: I guess you don't have to if you don't want to…**

Her head spun as she read the text. Rolling onto her back, she bit her lip. _If she's really me, even if she's some sort of other me – does that even make sense? No, that's not the point, it's…_

Obviously, this Mitsuha meant something to Taki, even if it was only a dream. Something about those last two texts… _That's not what Taki would have said, is it? What can I tell her that won't make her ask awkward questions?_

 **T: I forgot my bento today.**

 **M: really? That's what you didn't want to tell me about?**

 **T: But I never forget it!**

 _At least, according to Tsukasa I don't._ A string of emojis ran across her screen, and the uncomfortable weight of familiarity settled on her chest – that was exactly how she texted. _This dream is too realistic…_

 **M: You're so weird, Taki~**

 **M: I have more conferences tomorrow, this hotel room is so uncomfortable :( gn, tomorrow you should ACTUALLY TALK TO ME!**

 **T: good night**

Throwing the phone to the side, Mitsuha let out a relieved sighed and closed her eyes. _Who knew texting could be so exhausting?_

Really, though, today had been nothing short of amazing for her, even with all of the stress. She had always dreamed of seeing Tokyo and now she had, even if it was only a dream. The cafe had been amazing, and she had liked Taki's friends for the short time she had been around them.

Exhausted, she pulled the covers over her body and closed her eyes. The bed sure was comfy… Maybe she would have some crazy stories to tell Tessie and Saya tomorrow.

 _What a strange dream…_

* * *

 _Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Taki awoke with a start, soaked in sweat as he shot into a sitting position. His body felt clammy, a fog filling his mind as if he had had a bad dream. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.

 _Haaah…_

 _What?_

His throat and nose felt tight – too tight to be normal. _Do I have a cold?_ His chest was heavy as if he had strapped weights to it. Looking down, two lumps and cleavage stared back at him.

Cleavage. On his chest.

 _Huh. …Might as well squeeze them._

Reaching up, he grabbed his breasts and squeezed once, then twice. _Woah. That feels really good._ Not wanting to stop, he kept massaging himself. _Who knew girl's bodies were like this?_

"Sis, what are you doing?"

He glanced in the direction of the voice. Yotsuha was standing by the sliding door, staring at her. Closing his eyes again, he muttered, "I was just thinking about how these feel way real… Huh?"

Taki did a double take.

"Yotsuha?!"

 _Wait, it can't be… She's wearing pigtails, Yotsuha hasn't worn them in years, plus she's not that short anymore…_

 _Sis?!_

"You still asleep or something? It's. Break. Fast. Time! Hurry up!" Yotsuha slammed the door, leaving him staring in her wake.

 _What?_

Hauling himself to his feet, Taki's stomach growled. _I guess breakfast does sound nice…_ A mirror across the room caught his attention. Walking across the mats, he stepped in front of it and blinked. _Hi Mitsuha…_

Yeah, there was no mistaking his best friend's long black hair, or the small round face. He was wearing a red nightdress with yellow polka-dots. Blankly, he let it slid off his body, revealing plain white underclothes. This was Mitsuha, but her appearance was off – _she's younger?_

…

 _I'm Mitsuha?!_

The fog cleared away from his thoughts and he shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Feet pounded down the hall, and the screen door flew open again. Yotsuha stared at him, fear turning to relief then anger. "Why'dya scream like that? You scared Grandma!" she yelled at him. "Breakfast is getting cold!"

Taki flinched as the younger girl spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. _Yep, that's definitely Yotsuha, and she's definitely not twelve right now. Does that mean I'm in the past? Is this just a dream?_

 _It feels so real…_ Just to check, he pinched himself. No result but mild pain. _Dammit, I thought that might work._

He looked back at the mirror. _That's Mitsuha, for sure… I've never seen her naked before, she looks good… Wait, naked?_

Jumping away for the mirror, Taki threw his arms over his privates, his face burning. _I just saw Mitsuha half naked! She's gonna kill me!_

 _That's what you're panicking about?_ A voice in the back of his head whispered. _You know you've wanted to s-_

 _Nope nope nope best friend, she'd never get together with me anyways! She's twenty and I'm seventeen, for crying out loud! Besides, now's not the time to think about that!_

If he was in the past, he needed to know when. Stooping down, he picked up Mitsuha's pink flip phone and looked at the dateline: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2013. _That's… No, it can't be._

 _Am I in Itomori?_

* * *

"Here we are."

Stepping out of the car, Taki watched Mitsuha through the tinted window. A red cord swayed back and forth in her hair, blowing in the gentle fall breeze. She pressed the door shut, her hands lingering on the steel as she looked ahead to a row of barricades and a large "Do Not Enter" sign.

"Are we going in?" he asked quietly, and she nodded.

The ground was torn up and overgrown from disuse as they picked their way towards the end of the road. She avoided his gaze but shifted towards him, taking his hand. Ordinarily, he might have protested, but he could tell she was saddened coming back.

They stopped on a dirt field. Taki's eyes widened as he took in the disaster before him. A giant blue circle rested beside a larger lake, almost looking like a figure eight. He had seen the pictures a million times before, of course, but it was so much more visceral in person.

"I went to high school right here," Mitsuha murmured. She led him to the fence at the edge of the crater and pointed towards its middle. "Right there, that's where the shrine was. Tessie's house was there, Saya lived right next door, and-" Voice hitching, she shifted her finger slightly. "-and that's where we lived."

He smiled at her sadly, squeezing her hand slightly. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You wanted to be here," she said. "You never came to visit me, but I know you wanted to. This is the least I can do."

"I-I guess so."

She sighed, pressing her other hand to the fence and closing her eyes. "Someday, you'll get to see what Itomori was really like. It was so beautiful, and I never really saw it until right before it was gone."

"But how will I get to see it?" Taki asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

He had never understood the look she had given him then, so full of something utterly beyond his comprehension at the time. "You will, I promise. Someday..."

* * *

 _Someday…_

The lake sparkled in the early morning, cusping the sky in its bounds. Traditional homes and short two-story buildings spilled all the way around the edge, rising up into the hills and surrounded by green. Taki gasped in awe, his skirt blowing in the wind as he shielded his eyes from the morning sun. _It's- It's really Itomori! Mitsuha was right, it really is beautiful._

 _This can't be a dream, can it? Even with all of the pictures and articles I've seen, there's no way it could all look this real…_

"C'mon, sis!" Grinning, he ran down the steps after Yotsuha. Who cared if it was a dream or not? This was incredible!

Once he had managed to calm himself down, Taki had done a pretty good job at assuaging Yotsuha and Grandma's concerns. He knew Mitsuha well, so he had done his best to mimic her – _eating way too much, always thanking everyone, the accent…_ Grandma had shot him some odd looks, sure, but for the most part things had gone off without a hitch.

It was kind of freaky, really. Here he was, walking to Mitsuha's school in Mitsuha's clothes and body with Mitsuha's sister skipping ahead…

They arrived at the elementary school. Yotsuha spun around and hugged him. "Bye sis! Have a nice day!"

 _Ha, Yotsuha would rather be caught dead before she hugs me! I'm so going to lord this over her someday…_ Hugging the smaller girl back, she said, "Yeah, have fun!"

Watching her run off, Taki couldn't seem to wipe the big grin off his face. _Yeah, I don't mind this dream at all! Does this mean I'm gonna get to see little Tessie and little Saya too?_

Well, he might not have known the streets well, but the high school was the one place in Itomori he definitely knew how to get to. Setting his sights upwards, he started to meander through the winding streets, eager to take in all of the sights and smells while the dream lasted. _This will be so great for my sketches! I can't wait to get some of these shops down – assuming I remember in the morning, that is._

"Miiitsuhaaa!" He spun around, then broke into a broad smile as Tessie peddled a bike up behind him, Saya running up beside him. "You left us!"

In his excitement, Taki exclaimed, "Tessie! Saya!" then remembered where and who he was. Still, he couldn't resist… Putting his hands on his hips, in his best Mitsuha impression he said, "Maybe you guys were just slow today!"

"He wouldn't let me ride on the rack!" Saya protested.

"That's cause you're heavy!"

"And you're rude!"

Taki laughed, which came out as a light giggle. _It's been what, a year since they've started dating? I had almost forgotten that they used to do this all the time!_ "You two really are perfect together."

"We are not!" they chorused at the same time, wearing identical looks of indignation. It was adorable, really. _Man, I miss these two. Ever since they started college, I haven't seen them enough._

"Anyways, what's up with your hair today?" Saya asked. "You never wear it like that!"

The first thing Taki had realized upon stepping into the bathroom that morning was that he had _no idea_ how to do any of Mitsuha's elaborate hairstyles. Showering wasn't an option, obviously – had her furo even had a showerhead? - but he did his best to replicate as much of her hair routine as possible. If he was being honest with himself, he was having a great time imitating his best friend, even if the best he had been able to do was a ponytail tied up with her usual cord.

"I don't know, I thought I'd try something different today."

Tessie's mouth made an O, and Saya beamed at him. "It looks great!"

Taki beamed back, stopping himself from pumping his fist in victory. _Score one for me! Now, how would Mitsuha respond to that…_ "Thank you!"

"Let's go, we don't wanna be late!" Tessie pressed his foot against his petal and started to ride uphill. Saya made an indignant noise and ran after, and he laughed as he followed them.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

* * *

By the time Taki made it to Mitsuha's last class of the day, art, he had learned several things he had never known about his friend.

First, seventeen-year-old Mitsuha _hated_ touching other people, at least according to Tessie's shell-shocked reaction. He had tried to hug him like he had seen Mitsuha do before, and he had practically jumped out of his seat then asked if he was possessed. _I mean, he's not wrong._

Second, on the growing list of things to tease his friends about, Mitsuha's locker was 1) decorated 2) with boybands 3) and bright pink wallpaper. _Oh, she's never going to hear the end of that._

Third, and most disturbing, was the way the other girls in Mitsuha's class treated her. Looks, whispers in the hall… One group of girls seemed to be at the center of it, and Saya had steered him away from them when he caught their gaze. Taki had always counted himself fortunate that he didn't have the same drama high schoolers in movies seemed to get, and that gratitude was growing by the minute.

He didn't have time to worry about that now though. His good mood rose even higher as he passed under the battered old sign for the art room and saw the row of canvases before him. _Art… Now here's something I can do!_

"I still can't believe you forgot when we have lunch," Tessie grumbled as he slumped down in the chair next to him. "You like eating better than any of us do."

"Your desk and locker, too… Are you feeling okay, Mitsuha?" Saya's face showed genuine concern, and he frowned.

 _I've been doing good, but how was I supposed to know all of that stuff? What's a good excuse?_ "Sorry, I'm just a little, um, distracted today." _I mean, if waking up in your friend's body three years ago in a destroyed town isn't distracting, what is?_

"Or maybe you're possessed!" Tessie exclaimed, leaning towards him with a devilish glint in his eye.

Saya sighed, leaning back in her chair and fiddling with a pencil. "Maybe you're delusional..."

The teacher came into the room and interrupted their banter. "Alright, today's another free draw so feel free to do whatever happens to be on your mind.

 _Perfect!_ Taki already knew what he wanted to draw. Well, there were a million things he wanted to capture about this dream, but he started out with a little antique shop with a yellow awning they had passed on the way to school. _Even if it isn't real, it'll be good practice for when I wake up._

Setting his pencil to paper, he breathed in his surroundings and started sketching.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!"

Normally Taki was a reserved eater – he didn't like exercising much outside of sports practice so he watched his diet closely to avoid gaining weight. Mitsuha, on the other hand, had always had an insane metabolism and devoured anything put in front of her. He took full advantage of that now and shoveled as much food into his mouth as possible.

An array of flavors spilled across his tongue. Was this really homemade cooking? The last time he had tasted something like this had been at a restaurant! "'s really good!"

"Didn't we have this last night too?" Yotsuha asked. Her pigtails bounced as she nodded her head back and forth, working her way through a portion less than half his side.

Taki shrugged. I _didn't have this last night!_ he thought, furiously working his chopsticks as he held his rice bowl up to his mouth.

"Well, you're certainly in a different mood today, Mitsuha," Grandma said.

 _What can I say to that?_ "I guess I thought I'd switch things up today, ya know?" he said with a full mouth of food.

Yotsuha pulled a face. "Gross, sis."

Grandma chuckled to herself. Giving him a light shake of disapproval, she said, "I'm glad you're finally in a better mood. Maybe you'll be less grumpy when we braid cords tonight."

 _Braiding… cords…? Oh no._ Taki had seen Mitsuha working her weave-y string-y thing enough time to know that he wouldn't be able to even attempt that. _Gotta get out of that! What do I do?_ "I, um… Actually, I'm kinda really tired, so, um, I probably can't do it tonight."

"You're the most energetic I've seen you in months, and you're _tired?_ Mit-su-ha, I know I'm old but you've got to be able to come up with with a better excuse than that..." Grandma tutted. "Besides, you _like_ doing this."

"Uh… I dunno, I'm kinda just not braiding good today?" _Yeah, Taki, that sounds_ real _plausible, great job._ "I kept messing up my hair this morning, so I wore it down?"

"Hmm..." He wilted under her sharp scrutiny as Yotsuha sighed and kept eating. "Alright then, if you're really too tired, then I suppose you'll need to go to bed early tonight."

As if on cue, Taki yawned and stretched back. _Y'know, that doesn't sound half bad._ "Okay, gotcha!"

He really was exhausted, though, and it came as a relief when dinner finally ended and he was able to retreat to Mitsuha's room. Changing back into her nightclothes (without looking in the mirror this time), he got ready for bed and collapsed onto her futon. _What a crazy day._

Not quite tired, he stared at the ceiling and brainstormed all of the sketches he was going to make when he woke. _I'll call Mitsuha first, though – I bet she'll get a laugh out of this! Wonder if she's ever had a weird lucid dream like this before…_

Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

 _What a strange dream..._

* * *

 **[A/N] Hey all, and welcome to this story! I got this crazy idea after rewatching Kimi No Na Wa, which is my absolute favorite movie, and this AU just flew onto the page! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, my plot bunnies wouldn't let me stop writing it :)**

 **Signing out, Allie**


	2. Caller ID

Chapter Two: Caller ID

* * *

My Heart Starts With You

A Fanfiction by Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 4/24/18

* * *

When the alarm went off, Taki's eyes shot open. He sat up, looking around then down in momentary confusion. _I'm me agai_ _n, only…_

 _Why am I still wearing my uniform?_

Natural light spilled into his room as he pulled the shades open. The glass was cool against his nose, the pads of his fingers leaving light smudges as he drew them over the morning sun. Tokyo looked the same as always. Had he been expecting anything else?

The uniform was more than a little sweaty; he crinkled his nose as he unbuttoned the shirt and yanked his tie off. _I never fall asleep in my uniform! I could have sworn I took it off too, was I sleepwalking or something?_ Kicking the crumpled pile of clothes away from his feet, he grabbed a fresh button down and another pair of boxers and walked into the bathroom. Dropping his outfit, he turned to the mirror and sighed as his face came into view.

 _Was I really Mitsuha?_

It _hadn't_ felt like a dream. Taki could remember everything he had done, from the hyper-realistic views to the stupid conversation he, Tessie, and Saya had dragged through three periods _and_ lunch. Staring at his reflection, he tried to come up with ways to rationalize it and drew a blank. _I mean, I've seen tons of pictures of Itomori but nothing like that…_

The hot water was soothing, but his mind stayed far away. _I know_ lots _of stuff about Mitsuha, but not everything that happened there! It all made so much sense, it's hard to believe I made it up._

 _Maybe I just have a great imagination… Of course! I can just sketch some of the random places and show Mitsuha, then she can tell me how close I was. I'm sure I'll be way off, and it was just some crazy dream._

 _When does she get back from Korea again?_

"Taki, are you moving?"

Taki jolted back to reality as his father's voice drifted from the other room. _Oh, right. School. It's a shame that dream wasn't real, I'd hang out with Tessie and Saya over_ _Tsukasa and Shinta. If only they weren't at university in Kyoto…_ Getting out of the shower, he toweled off and threw his uniform on.

His father shot him a look as he stumbled into the kitchen. "You forgot to make breakfast again."

"Again?"

The older man rose to his feet with a groan, folding his newspaper and tossing it onto the table. "Yes, again."

 _Huh?_ Taki frowned, watching him walk towards the door. "But you made breakfast yesterday, remember? You take Thursdays, I take Fridays."

His father paused in the entryway. Turning, he narrowed his eyes at Taki. "I thought it was an off-day, but you're just as weird today as yesterday. It's _Saturday_ , kid. Playing the amnesia card isn't going to get you out of chores, no matter how hard that kid hit you the other day." He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You're wearing your uniform… Wait, you actually think it's Friday?"

Taki looked down at his shirt and tie. _You're kidding me. You're actually kidding me._ "It is Friday! This is-"

The newspaper fell into his hands, and Taki stared dumbly at the dateline – Saturday, September 3rd, 2016. His father cracked a rare smile, shaking his head in amusement. "Sometimes it amazes me how clueless you are, Taki. I've got to go volunteer at the art center, don't burn down the apartment without me."

"B-b-but..." he stuttered, staring at the paper. Pinching himself yielded pain, shaking his head just made him dizzy. The door slammed shut. He let the paper slip from his hands and stumbled backward, his back slamming into the gray wall. "What?!"

 _Either this is a really really good prank, or…_

Taki flew into his room and went straight for his phone. Sure enough, the screen said Saturday. So did the good morning text from Mitsuha and a text from Tsukasa asking whether he wanted to hang out later. _Okay, so it's Saturday. That makes sense. I must have literally sleepwalked to school yesterday, or… something._

For some reason, his dream immediately sprang to mind. He stomped that thought out in the bud. _Don't be crazy, you're starting to sound like Tessie!_

His pillow was soft against his head as he rolled onto his back. He really didn't have school so there was no need to the uniform. Closing his eyes and sighing, he took his uniform off and changed into more casual wear. _Can't say I was excited to go to school after that dream…_

 _Oh, I was going to try and draw it._

Paper rustled on his desk when he pulled his chair back and sat down. Last night, he had been working on a simple sketch of the skyline; it was entirely unimportant and he had done it a million times before, so he shoved it aside and grabbed a new sheet of paper. Taking a pencil, he tossed his phone onto his bed and began to draw.

A half-hour later, a more polished drawing of the rough sketch he had done the day before sat before him. Sitting back, he inspected his work; he might not have had a reference, but to his eye, it looked accurate. _It's a shame I won't get another good look, I'd love to do it better…_

His phone buzzed on his bed. Taki rolled his chair away from his desk and grabbed it: Mitsuha was calling. _Great, maybe she can make something out of this weird dream and amnesia thing._ Pressing the accept button, he lifted it to his ear. "Hi."

"Taki Tachibana, you promised me that you would text me!"

He winced as Mitsuha yelled into the phone. _Is this another thing I forgot to do yesterday? What happened, was I possessed or something?_ "Uh, sorry!" _What can I say, what can I say?_ "You know how bad I am at texting..."

"Idiot..." Her voice sounded less angry now, so that was a plus for sure. "You did text me last night, so that's something I guess. I still can't believe you forgot your bento..."

 _I forgot my bento?!_ Laughing nervously, he said, "Yeah, neither can I." _Change the subject, idiot!_ "So, um, how's Korea?"

"I think I'm the youngest person at this convention by twenty years," she stage-whispered into the phone, letting the buzz of conversation around her sink in. "I mean, it's my first business trip, which is exciting, but everyone else has a degree and ten years of experience and I haven't even gone to college!"

Taki spun his chair around to watch the skyline. "I mean, what did you expect from a convention for historians? It's not like many nineteen-year-olds are exactly leading cultural preservation efforts."

"You're still just mad that I'm an associate director and you're only a first year in high school," she said with a hint of pride, and he rolled his eyes. "Also, half the people here don't speak Japanese and I don't speak Korean, so I have to use _English_. Honestly, it's kinda boring, I wish you could have come with me."

"Well, Dad is already on me for skipping school with you, so probably that's not the best idea… You're coming home on Wednesday, four more days can't be that bad, right?"

"I guess so," Mitsuha said with a hint of doubt. "Anyways, what didn't you want to tell me last night? You never hide things from me, and I know you couldn't really have been talking about forgetting your bento…"

Taki pursed his lips and got to his feet, leaving his room and aimlessly wandering through the apartment. "Well, I did have this weird dream, actually..."

"Dream?" Her voice sounded oddly strangled through the phone. He leaned against the doorway to his father's bedroom as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it was really weird, actually. See, it was one of those super-realistic lucid dreams, where you can control things and stuff like that." Tilting his head back to stare at the cracked ceiling, he said, "But that wasn't even the weird part. I was in your body in Itomori-" There was a noise that sounded suspiciously like a phone being dropped on the other line, and he paused. "Mitsuha!"

"I forgot! How the hell could I have forgotten? Why didn't he remind me? No, wait, he _knew_ -" Mitsuha stopped babbling into the phone, and there was a momentary pause. "Right, you're still there. Hi, Taki~"

To say that Taki was confused was a _bit_ of an understatement. "What just happened? What did you forget?"

She went from singsong to serious in an instant. "I'm coming back to Japan right now."

"WHAT?!"

"Hm, so I'll need a plane ticket back to Tokyo and a ride to the airport..." Mitsuha muttered to herself. "Sorry, Taki, I have to go! I'll see you later today and I'll explain everything, I promise!" The line went dead in his hands, and his hand sagged to his side.

 _What_ _the hell_ _just happened?_

* * *

"And then she's like, oh, I'm coming back to Tokyo and just hangs up on me!" Taki shook his head in amazement, staring at his drink. "I don't understand Mitsuha at all sometimes..."

The cafe was a modern affair – high arching wooden beams overlooked a sea of wooden tables and beige faux leather chairs. Tsukasa's finger pressed into his cheekbone, thoughtfully tapping Taki's chair leg with his foot. "That's really strange, even for her. Didn't she make a big deal out of how this conference was supposed to be a career opportunity for her?"

"Yeah, and it almost felt like it was because I mentioned that dumb dream I had of her," he muttered, moving his fork and knife aside to make room for the plate of fries they had ordered together.

"You two are perfect for each other," Tsukasa drawled, lazily pushing a fry into his mouth end-first. "I mean, you even dream of her..."

Taki's face went red. "We're best friends, not together! How many times do I-"

"Relax, relax, I know." Tsukasa took a long drink from his milkshake as he eyed Taki. "You know, you were really weird yesterday. I'm almost convinced it wasn't even you, seeing that you're back to normal now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's see." He held his hand up and started ticking off fingers. "You got lost on the way to school, you didn't know where our classroom or your job was, you forgot your lunch… You didn't even immediately deny it when Shinta and I said you and Mitsuha should get together..."

Taki stood up abruptly, slamming his hands down on the table and leaning into towards him. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope, not at all. I'm telling you, I think you need her. She's out of the country for a week and you're practically dysfunctional..." Tsukasa shook his head and slumped deeper into his seat, tossing more food into his mouth.

Groaning, he slid back into his seat and stared despondently at the fries. _I'm so confused._ "Can we change the subject?"

"Whatever you say, dude."

"I started sketching something new." Digging his phone out of his pocket, he found the quick photo he had taken of his drawing and pushed it across the table. Tsukasa lifted his glasses up to look closer and gave an appreciative whistle when he did.

"This is your first sketch? What source were you using?"

Taki started to respond then caught himself. _How am I supposed to tell him that it's the second sketch of a building I saw in my dream, the first sketch of which I did in that dream?_ "It's, um, a building I noticed biking the other day. I took a picture, that's probably why it looks so good."

"Where in Tokyo are there rising hills like this?" Tsukasa asked skeptically.

"I went out of the city with Mitsuha last weekend?" he offered, kicking himself internally. _This is why I don't_ _like_ _l_ _ying,_ _I'm awful at it!_

"Right..." Shaking his head, Tsukasa narrowed his eyes at Taki. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something? You're still off today."

Sighing, he looked away from the cafe and out the window. Tokyo was the same as always: pavement and people and flashing lights. _It was just a dream. Nothing less, nothing more._ "To be honest, I don't really know what's wrong either. Maybe I'm still asleep..."

* * *

1:23.

Deep shadows crept across the sparse contours of Taki's room. Cocooned in his blanket, blue light burned his face as he listlessly scrolled through his phone. He was warm, but every couple of minutes he would roll over to ignore the cramped feeling in his arms. Clicking back over to Line, he sighed as he read the message once again.

 **M: I'm on the 12:30 back to Tokyo. I'm coming over as soon as I land, don't go anywhere!**

He had typed out his response, but he hadn't gotten to it until after she had been supposed to take off.

 **T: Why now? What's so important that can't wait until morning?**

No response. Now, he was lying in bed wondering whether what could possibly have possessed Mitsuha this time. _I knew she gets impulses, but this? This doesn't even make sense!_

 _Mitsuha, what are you up to this time?_

The iPhone slipped from his fingers and tumbled to the floor. Before he knew it, his eyes had slipped shut and he fell fast asleep.

* * *

Drip. Drip. Drip.

There were some facts of Mitsuha's existence that she had always taken as givens. She couldn't remember when, exactly, she had first noticed the leaky faucet in her bathroom. In fact, she had never given it a second thought until Yotsuha had complained. It was an object of muted interest, something to contemplate on the toilet or as she blow dried her hair. Now, kneeling at the sink, her chin perched on her folded arms, she was lost in thought staring at the steady drip from the rusted faucet.

 _What was that dream? It can't have been real, but it_ _was real- No, stupid, it was a dream… But_ maybe _it_ wasn't _a dream! And if it wasn't, then I went to Tokyo! That's amazing! Mitsuha Miyamizu, Tokyo girl… or boy… But I was there! Or in Korea, that part didn't make much sense…_

"Hurry up! We're gonna be late and you've been in there forever!" Yotsuha yelled through the door.

Knocked out of her thoughts, Mitsuha got to her feet and looked in the mirror. _No Taki Tachibana here…_ Adjusting her hair tie and her bra, she exited the furo and stuck her tongue out at her little sister.

She got a flat look in return. "At least your hair is back to normal today," Yotsuha muttered, flinging the door shut behind her.

 _My hair? What about my hair?_

* * *

"Mitsuhaaaa! Over here!" Saya waved Mitsuha over to a shady bench as she exited the school to eat lunch. Grinning widely, she ran over to join her and Tessie, who were already eating in the cool shade. Itomori's sparkling lake sprawled out behind them, but none of them paid it any heed.

Tessie gave her an evil grin, poking her with his toe. "So you didn't need us to show you to your classes after all, huh?"

"Seriously, where did you guys even come up with this stuff? Have you been reading about the occult again?" Leaning back against the worn and splintery wood, she pulled her bento open and started eating. "There are what, thirteen classrooms in our entire school? How could I possibly get lost?"

They exchanged a look. "Don't ask me, you're the one who asked me where your English class was," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, you were totally weird yesterday." Saya leaned closer and squinted at her. "Like, you knew _some_ things, but you also acted like you had no idea what was going on!"

Tessie nodded rapidly, holding out a hand. "You did your hair funny, you tried to follow me into the boys bathroom, plus suddenly you're a great artist..." He ticked down a finger at each point, then his face lit up and he shouted, "You must have been possessed!"

Mitsuha blinked, then blinked again. _Why does that not sound like a completely unreasonable explanation?_ "And all of that on top of that weird dream I had..."

"Dream?"

"Yeah, it was 2016 and I was a boy in Tokyo who was dating but not dating myself..." An absurd laugh burst from her throat; said out loud, the utter absurdity of it made it so much less believable. Ignoring the instant regret she got from vocalizing it – _that was my thing, I shouldn't have told them_ – she said, "I was just kinda out of it, I guess?"

"Ri-ight..." Taki shrugged, kicking his feet up and looking back at the school. "I guess you really are back to normal."

Elbowing Tessie, Saya whispered, "He's just disappointed you're not helping him tease me today."

"Something like that," he muttered, an obvious blush rising to his cheeks.

Mitsuha groaned and started eating again, balancing her lunch atop her bent knees. "Just start dating already so I can eat in peace..."

"WE ARE NOT DATING!"

Bursting out laughing, a sense of relief washed over her and she relaxed slightly. _It was just a dream. See, everything is perfectly normal._

* * *

 _This is not normal._

A hand rested on Mitsuha's shoulder as she blankly looked at the sketch before her. It looked downright professional, which was about as far from her art as one could possibly get. Her art teacher raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I'd love to see what you come up with today, Mitsuha, since you suddenly seem to be an artist."

"Bu- bu- bu- What?"

"Mitsuha?" Saya's hand rested on her arm, and she spun around to her worried countenance. "Are you really okay?"

Dazed, she nodded aimlessly. "Yeah, I'm fine." She wasn't, of course, because the second she had seen the sketch, her mind had flown hundreds of miles away to a small apartment in Tokyo, covered in beautiful pencil sketches just like the one before her.

 _Was it really a dream?_

* * *

 _Is this really a dream?_

The first time Taki had found himself in Mitsuha's body, it had felt like just that. The second time, just two days after the first, he wasn't so sure.

There was no mistaking the person looking back at him in the mirror. He _felt_ present, present through the damp cool of the sink, by the pain where he had pinched himself so hard he nearly broke the skin, by the chest he _did not_ have as a boy. Yet he didn't feel displaced, he didn't feel like he was in the distant haze of dreamland.

No, he felt comfortable. In his best friend's body. Living her life. Again.

Hastily tying up another ponytail, Taki pushed away from the bathroom sink. Ticking off everything he had learned about Mitsuha's life last time, he barely even noticed Yotsuha staring at him as he walked into the kitchen and sat at his seat. _Why am I here? Am I here? Do I want to be here?_

 _At least I can eat as much as I want here,_ he thought as he shoveled a massive portion of rice into his bowl. _If only Dad wasn't such a miser about everything…_

"Grandma, Mitsuha's being weird again!" Yotsuha whined, watching her suspiciously.

"Huh?"

Grandma shot her a look, shaking her head. "Mistuha, we've had this conversation before. You are a perfectly well-endowed young lady so you don't have to feel ashamed of supporting yourself."

Blinking, Taki pointed at himself and cocked his head in confusion.

"You're not wearing a bra! You're still trying to do gross stuff with Tessie, aren't you?" Yotsuha said, poking him with her elbow and giving her an evil grin.

Mitsuha looked down and turned deep fuschia. _I forgot to wear a bra? I'm a guy, guys don't- But I'm not a guy right now, I'm a girl…_ _Wait a-_ "T-T-Tessie? What are you talking about?"

"I think you know..."

"What are you doing with Katsuhiko?" Grandma asked, fixing Taki with an even look.

 _Mitsuha's never had a boyfriend! Right? Wait a second…_ "Yotsuha!" Mitsuha's little sister stuck a tongue at him, and he felt like facepalming. _Of course she's teasing me, even as an elementary schooler…_ Hastily getting up from the table, Taki fled the room at Yotsuha burst out in hysterical laughter. _I swear, that little brat sister of hers… Now, how the hell do I put a bra on?_

Ten minutes of merciless teasing later, Taki fled the Miyamizu household dragging Yotsuha along with him. Itomori caught his breath once again, although the sheer awe he had felt yesterday was somewhat dulled. After dropping her at school, he waited for Tessie and Saya this time, grinning and waving wildly as they came. _Alright, obviously I know more about Mitsuha now so I better put it to good use!_

Walking up to school with two of his closest friends in an impossible time and an impossible place, he was starting to wonder whether there was any way it could be a dream.

* * *

Taki collapsed onto the futon in a heap, feeling worse than he could remember in a long time.

The day had started out poorly. First off, Mitsuha's father had called him out at his rally; he didn't think it would have been so embarrassing, but it _was_. _I'm so used to her father being so nice and involved, I almost forgot she told me he used to be like this!_ Then Tessie and Saya had fallen on their bike and spent the next six hours bickering over whose fault it was. Mitsuha's art teacher had asked where the sketching skill had come from again in art, and to top it all of, he hadn't been able to get out of her braiding and had suffered through a long painful lecture from Grandma on the proper technique.

Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, causing him to curl up tighter on the futon. _I can't cry! I'm a boy, boys don't cry over stupid stuff like this!_

 _But you're not a boy, you're Mitsuha,_ his tears seemed to taunt him.

"Mitsuha, how can I talk to you if I'm in your body?" he whispered, her familiar voice sounding slightly off when he used it.

He needed confirmation, something to show that it was just a nightmare waiting to pass in the morning. Reaching for her phone, he thought for a moment then typed in his old phone number, the one from middle school. Pressing it to his ear, he waited for somebody to pick up.

"Hello?"

Cold chills racked Taki's body. _I just called myself. I- I…_ "H-hi?"

"Uh, do I know you?"

Taki froze. _My younger self is right. He doesn't know Mitsuha. Why would he?_ "I-I'm sorry, I guess I must- I dialed a wrong number. I-"

"Oh, okay." A pause. "Are you… okay? Should I hang up?"

He choked back a sob. _God, why am I doing this?_ He wondered about the question for a moment, some part of his brain trying to stay detached. "I don't know."

"Oh. Ok, I guess. I'm Taki?"

"M-Mitsuha," she mumbled. "I shou- I should go. To sleep, or- well, or something. I'm sorry."

His younger self must have adjusted the phone because the line rang with static. "Oh. Well, I hope you feel better, Mitsuha."

Some faint recognition registered in Taki's brain, and suddenly the words came spilling from his mouth. "Taki?" he whispered. "Can you call me again, please? I- It's just- When I'm not like this..."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so?" Younger Taki's voice dropped a bit, and he said, "Mom says that sleep makes you feel better if you're sad, I think? Maybe you'll feel better in the morning. Everything always seems less scary in the sunlight."

In spite of himself, Taki couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. _I just got advice from a younger version of myself. What even…_

 _Mom wasn't dead three years ago. He hasn't lost her, yet._ Overwhelmed and confused, Taki said something indecipherable as a goodbye and let the phone fall away from the futon. _Why am I crying? Why isn't Mitsuha here with me?_

Lost and confused, Taki slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Mitsuha started as someone rudely shook her shoulder. Mumbling something, she tried to roll over but the person gripped her shoulder and pulled her up. _What? Who's there, wha… oh._

Blinking her eyes open, Mitsuha found herself staring at Mitsuha Miyamizu.

* * *

 **[A/N] Thank you for all the support on the first chapter! For such a small fandom, I didn't expect that at all but you guys rock!**

 **Signing out, Allie**


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